Joining the Fairmined Gold Family
It’s official! We’re excited to announce that we’re now part of the Fairmined family and offer Fairmined gold for custom jewelry pieces and our next collection! So what exactly is Fairmined gold? How is it different from recycled gold? Fairmined is an assurance standard by the Alliance for Responsible Mining, that certifies gold mined by empowered artisanal and small scale mining communities. It transforms mining into a force for good, ensuring environmental protection and social development, providing a source of gold we can all be proud of.
Fairmined miners are empowered artisans who have shown passion for and commitment to responsible mining practices. Rigorous standards and third party auditing are required for miners to be certified as Fairmined, which gives them access to fair prices and premiums as fair exchange for the demands of the certification. Being part of the Fairmined standard means safe and stable jobs for mining communities, greater gender equality and community wellbeing, no child labor, and no links to conflict situations. For the miners this system rewards expertise, strengthens and empowers their organizations (there are often significant barriers to entry for small mining organizations to formalize and legalize). There are also environmental benefits to being part of the Fairmined standard, such as ensuring the safe handling and disposal of chemicals as well as overall reducing the overall need for chemical use, protecting the water supply, and leaving a positive environmental legacy. Gold mining in particular tends to be one of the worst types of mining for the environment, often relying on toxic chemicals such as mercury to separate gold ore from the host rock. Currently it is the number one source of mercury pollution in the world, so we’re happy to support mercury-free and low impact mining practices in our supply chain.
The Fairmined standard is also all about transparency, something I always advocate for in our jewelry and fashion supply chains. With 3rd party auditing ensuring participating mines not only meet but set the standard for responsible mining, and a reporting systems for suppliers and buyers, transparency and continuous improvement are a priority, a first in a traditionally very opaque area of the industry.
We’re proud to announce that our next collection will be produced in Fairmined gold. This is a first for us, as up until now we’ve been using 100% recycled gold. We will continue to offer recycled gold in some collections as well as an option for made to order and custom jewelry creations as recycling is also important to support in our industry. We made the switch because despite the widespread use of recycled precious metals, it has done very little to reduce the demand for new gold mining. Buying Fairmined gold and supporting responsible artisanal and small scale mining projects is our way of voting with our dollar to support mining that is done better, protects the environment, and allows communities to thrive. It aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals for decent work and economic growth, gender equality, by using fewer chemicals and disposing of them safely, protects life under water and life on land as well. It’s voting for a better future in our industry.
Thinking about your new one of a kind jewelry? Ask us about our gold to be proud of or learn more at fairmined.org.